So this is what Ross and I spent the weekend doing, a giant stone puzzle. We had the Cannon Fitzroy gas fire installed before last winter, which was money well spent, it seriously heats up half the house! Since then it has been sitting in it's frame, albeit with a mantelpiece, waiting for us to get around to doing the stone surround.
So end of summer we have finally got around to it! We started by laying all the bits of stone out on the deck so we could see the size and shape of each piece easily.
Ross hard at work! I helped by documenting (ie. I took photos!) and occasionally held the odd bit of stone in place so that he could take a step back and survey his workmanship.
Now to grout it! So pleased with how it is looking so far though.
As for how we built the bench seat.... I did take photos at the various stages but unfortunately I can't access them at the moment as they are all stored on the back up thingy and I have no idea how to get to them and Ross is in a conference at the moment and being most unhelpful. ie. ignoring my phone calls and text messages!
So I have included a bunch of photos of it and maybe if you have any specific questions about it Jane email me and I will get Ross to answer them for you!
For those that asked, yes there is storage underneath it!
Ross did all the hard work here, although I did paint it and organise the cushions! My tip on the cushions... shop around! I rang a dozen different upholsterers and the prices were varied to the extreme ranging from $400 to $1500!!!! I went with the $400 quote and am so pleased with his work that I will be using him again. For the fabric I used a sunbrella outdoor fabric and went for the darkest navy that they had. Again, shop around for the fabric. I ended up sourcing mine from a sail manufacturer who imported it and was happy to sell me a few metres. Best thing about it I can practically hose it down when the boys have finished eating!